Method of registering speed of railroad-trains



C. T. LIERNUR.

Railway Speed Indicator and Register.

No. 22,081. Patented Nov. 16-, 1858.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFTCE.

CHARLES T. LIERNUR, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

METHOD OF REGISTERING SPEED' 03: RAILROAD-TRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,081, dated November 16, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1. CHARLES T. LIERNUR, civil engineer, of the city of Mobile, State of Alabama, have invented a Method of Measuring the Speed of Railway-Trains and Keeping Account Thereof on a Paper Register for that Purpose Applied; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of my invention is to construct a self acting accountant to be put on any car of a railway train, for the purpose of registering on a sheet of paper the speed of the train at each part of the road, in such a manner that at the end of each trip said register can be taken out, indorsed, and sent in for inspection to the chief manager of the road so as to enable him to be informed of each movement of the train, to know where it stopped, and when in motion, what its speed was, to detect if established regulations were obeyed or not, and finally to have a controlling oversight over the ofiicers in charge of it.

The apparatus is set in a closed and locked closet, the key of which is to be kept by the depot masters at the terminal and intermediate stat-ions of the line, so that no officer of the train has access to it or can interfere with its working parts. There is also attached to it an index with a graduated scale on which an indicator or hand points out at any time and place the exact speed of the train in miles per hour so as to enable the conductors, by inspection of it, to know if the train moves in conformity with the established rules of the road. said indicator to be covered with glass, so that any interference with the machinery is impossible.

Figure 1 represents the general outlines (in section) of a car. which may be either mail, passenger or otherwise and in it is shown the position of the casing containing the apparatus. In the lower part of the casing (see Figs. 2 and 8) is placed a so called governor, similar in its principal properties to the governor used for regulating the speed of stationary steam engines. The weights A, A, slide in slotted frames B B and bring thelr motion over by means of the toggle levers C C and the rods D, D and E, E to the follower F. Vhen the apparatus stands still the weights A A are drawn in toward the center shaft G by the spiral spring, but the moment the same begins to move the weights will be thrown out by centrifugal power and compress the same in proportion to the speed of rotation. The amount of compression of this spring will therefore be the true measure of this speed. It is indicated on the index XV with the hand X attached to the casting Z which receives it motion from the follower F by means of the rods and levers H. I. J. K. L, M and N.

The governor is set in motion as follows: The shaft 0 carries a pulley P which is con nected with an endless belt Q with one of the car axles. In order that this belt shall not suffer from the irregular motion of the car in reference to its axle it is bent back so as to cause the lower part to lie nearly horizontal and in this bend are put the straining pulleys R R. The frame which carries these pulleys is provided with a strong spring equal in its throw to the maximum throw of the car spring. The shaft 0 carries a beveled cog wheel S which brings through the cog wheels T. U, the motion over to the large cog wheel V which is placed on the center shaft of the governor. The object of the peculiar construction of the governor is to prevent the weights A A from being influenced by shocks or jars of the car, either sidewise or vertical. The natural effect of any sidewise shock is to throw one weight outward and the other inward, but this is entirely prevented by the manner in which the weights are hung or fastened together. The momentum acquired through any shock by the weight flying outward is counter balanced by the momentum of the weight flying inward. leaving the spring unintluenced. The slotted frames in which the weights slide prevent the weights from being influenced by vertical shoc ts. As there is always a certain amount of back lash or lost motion in a combination of levers, a similar arrangement is provided for preventing the casting Z from being influenced by shocks or jars and this consists in the equalization beam K. on one end of which are fastened the levers and rods H. I and J and on the other side the levers and rods L, M and N. The same shock imparting an equal momentum at the same time on opposite ends of the beam. the result will be that the effect of the blow will be neutralized and the casting Z remains stationary. This casting and its details are shown at full size in Figs. at and 5.

It will be seen that the index W is supported by and fastened on the same crosspieces which support the guiding rods a, a. The casting Z carries the indicator X and also a hollow cylinder containing a pencil which is held therein with the nut 79, by means of friction. A small spring resting on this and against the top of the cylinder presses the pencil outward. The graduations of the index are to be found by direct trial.

Having thus explained the maner in which in my invention the velocity of a railway train is indicated, I will proceed to describe how these various degrees of speed for each place of the road on which the car travels can be noted down in paper.

The same wheel on a smooth track always making the same number of revolutions per mile, no matter how swiftly it runs, it is clear that this number will be the measure of the length of road passed over. If therefore by means of a set of worms and worm wheels a motion was given to a dial plate sufficiently retarded to give to the latter only one revolution, in say 50 miles running, a 1/50 part of its revolution will indicate that a distance of one mile is run.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the upper wheel A represents the dial plate to which the paper register is attached. It is a circular sheet of paper the perimeter of which is divided into 50 parts. Radii are drawn in red lines toward the division points. Each radius represents a mile post. The thin black circles which I name parallel of speed are described with the distances laid off on the index W. (See the full sized register marked A accompanying this specification.) The dial plate can be made of wood and the register be fastened to it with spring fastenings or thumb tacks. A retarded motion is given to the dial plate by two single threaded worms B and B and two worm wheels C and D The first worm is placed upon the shaft O which receives its motion by means of the pulley P from any car-axle. The worm wheel C has 64 teeth and the worm wheel D 478 teeth. Making thus 30,592 revolutions of the carwheel or shaft 0 for one of the dial plate. This is equal to 50 miles running for a 33 inch carwheel. But the comparative velocity between the register and the carwheel depends entirely on the choice of the superintendent of a railroad, who will decide on the size of the register and the degree of accuracy which in his opinion will best satisfy the purposes of surveillance over the movements of the train. For a dial of 30 inches diameter a 50 mile register seemed to me the best. To

avoid the difficulty of putting in a new sheet of paper at the end of that length, I have arranged the pencil holder in the casting Z (see Figs. 4 and 5) in such a manner that a pencil of a difierent color can be substituted by merely screwing the top off. Then the pencil with its spring, etc. will readily come out. Thus a road of say 200 miles can be divided into 4 divisions of 50 miles each and the notes belonging to each be shown by a specific color for each trip. Thus for instance lst division blue, 2d black, 3d green and 4th red. The colored French crayons are hereto admirably adapted. I have also provided an arrangement to thrown the upper worm wheel D out of gear, as shown at Figs. 2 and 3. The vertical shaft E is held above in a bracket; a movable nut sliding in a slot can be set so as to clear the worm entirely free of the teeth of the wormwheel. By this means the register can be placed exactly so as to bring the pencil at the starting point or zero mile post at the beginning of each division. Now it is evident that when the car moves the dial wheel will revolve in keeping with it and the pencil describe a line, which will show the exact speed of the train on each part of the road run over. For instance suppose that the curved blue line on the register has been thus described, it would indicate that the engine driver had gradually set his engine in motion until at the mile post it had a speed of 15 miles per hour, at of the mile 20 miles per hour, at the 1 mile post 22 miles per hour; that he slightly increased his speed until at the 3d mile the train ran 25 miles per hour and so forth. Now if on any place where his speed was so great there was any steep curve in the road or a bridge or any bad place where slow speeds would be preferable and in fact necessary this part of the line so drawn would at once accuse him of being a careless man not fit to be trusted with the property of the company or the safety of travelers. A rectilinear return to the center would show a too sudden braking up.

The apparatus can be placed in any car without occupying useful room. The upper portion will not project more than 6 to 7 inches from the wall of the car and the lower part in which the governor stands can be used as a seat. In Fig. 1 it is placed so as to serve for the little side bench usually to be found each side of the car-door. The indeX is to be covered with a glass and thus the apparatus will be a convenience to the conductor and interesting to passengers. The register should be printed on metallic paper, so as to make an indelible mark. The casing is to be kept locked and the key given to the depotmasters. These will put the blank registers in, and when used take them out, date and indorse them and send them in for inspection to headquarters.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In the indicating apparatus I claim the governor A, B, C, D, E, placed in the lower part of a casing which can be used as a car seat; said governor having its Weights so united by connecting rods and levers as to cause them to remain in their centrifugal and centripetal action uninfluenced by any horizontal jars and shocks of the car; I also claim the compensation beam K or its equivalent, with its rods and levers to bring over the motion of the cross head of the governor to the indicator, so arranged as to cause the vertical jolts and jars received by the various moving parts to absorb one another; and the indicator X which points out the degrees of speed on the index lV; the Whole so arranged as to enable passengers and conductors to be constantly informed of the exact speed of the train as substantially described above.

CHARLES T. LIERNUR.

\Vitnesses of signature:

GEO. H. DERBY, CHAS. H. POOLE. 

